Custer State Park

Wow, it seems like we just arrived in Rapid City although we’ve been here a week already.  But it’s been a whirlwind since we arrived and I have a lot to write about.  So, I’ll break it up into three posts.

The weather was hot the first couple of days that we were here in Rapid City, so we spent most of our time staying cool and waiting for the cooler temperatures to come back, which they did in short order.  Since then, the temps have been mostly in the 80’s, great for being outdoors and enjoying the sights, as well as spending time with Snookie and Bob and making new friends as well.

On Wednesday, Bob and Snookie invited us to make a scenic tour of Custer State Park and one of the scenic routes through the black hills that promised lots of wildlife and great views.

So we all loaded up in their truck and off we went for a great day with friends.  We wound our way to Keystone where we stopped to check out the chain saw art.  Wow, some of these sculptures were HUGE!  And very impressive.  I particularly liked the eagles.

Out front of the chainsaw art display was a huge chair, so I couldn’t get a picture without somebody to demonstrate the size of the thing.  DeWayne was glad to accommodate.

From Keystone, we took the scenic route that took us over switchback curves, “pigtails”, bridges and tunnels.

Going through this tunnel, we got our first glimpse of Mt. Rushmore through the back window.

Further down the road was a great pull-off where we could get a better view and afforded some really great scenery!

From there, we took the scenic route the black hills and Custer State Park, where we saw lots of Prong Horns (similar to Antelope), Prairie Dogs, Turkey, and Buffalo.  Oh, and LOTS of gorgeous countryside!

And what I was surprised to see were the wild Burrows, who have grown so accustomed to tourists that they actually come right up to people or cars looking for a carrot or french fry.  They didn’t seem to be picky, as long as it was free.

And here are just of few more of the MANY pictures I took along our drive.

What a great day we had!  It looked like rain when we arrived back at the FamCamp, so after we all settled in for the evening, we had some rain showers, then were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow hovering over the tent area that was already starting to fill up with motorcycle enthusiasts, arriving early for Sturgis week.

Next day, DeWayne and I set off to see Deadwood, but I’ll break it off at this point and start another post.  Otherwise, this would go on and on.  I have two more days of sightseeing to cover, so click on “newer posts” to see them as well.